


tightrope

by sapphire_eyes27



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, Brief Nishinoya, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Rare Pairings, and kanoka is so cuteee, brief Hinata, brief Suga, confession but not exactly, i need more of her, in tokyo, it's practically a date, no major spoilers, rare pair hell is real y'all, takes place during nationals, tanaka and kanoka meet after many years, these two killed me, they go on a "friends outing", they're so cute together omg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 00:57:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8600809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphire_eyes27/pseuds/sapphire_eyes27
Summary: During Nationals in Tokyo, Tanaka is reunited with his best friend from fourth grade, Amanai Kanoka, who's part of the Niiyama Joshi volleyball team.*Kanoka was always tall. She towered over everyone in class and Tanaka admired her height because it did serious damage even in fourth grade when they practiced spiking. Even now, standing in front of Tanaka, Kanoka is taller than him. She probably has a good inch and a half on him but he isn’t even embarrassed because he realizes how feminine she’s gotten. Gone was the stick straight girl from fourth grade. Before Tanaka is a girl whose short and tight volleyball uniform wonderfully accentuated her figure. He admires her lean yet strong arms (the arms of the future ace) and muscular thighs, gained from hours of grueling practice. Her legs in those shorts look unbelievably long, and Tanaka’s cheeks begin to heat up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> When I first read chapter 231, I fell in love with Amanai Kanoka! If you haven't read the hq manga, [this](http://www.mangareader.net/haikyu/231/3) is what she looks like. She's so cute and then we find out she knows Tanaka from 4th grade?! If you know me at all, you know how much of a slut I am for the whole childhood friends to lovers trope. That shit is my jam! I couldn't get these two out of my head so I ended up writing them. I humbly present to you this rare pair! Enjoy~

_I wonder where Noya-san is_ , Tanaka thinks to himself as he searches for his best friend. _I have to show him these awesome shoes this guy was wearing. Maybe we can get ‘em here in Tokyo. Tokyo fashion is so cool!_

Tanaka finally spots Noya with Hinata and…is that a girl? She wears the Niiyama Joshi uniform, and she’s tall (but then again almost everyone is taller than Noya and Hinata, Tanaka muses with a snort). She has short dark hair and a smile that easily graces her face. Her eyes remind him of melted butterscotch, and he bets they feel just as warm when pinned under that gaze. Even with her impressive height, she looks friendly and approachable.

She looks vaguely familiar to Tanaka, and he wracks his brain trying to remember why. It annoys him because really, he should know who she is. For some reason his mind transports him all the way back to primary school where he recalls sharing melonpan from his bento and helping himself to octopus shaped sausages from…

“Oi!” Tanaka yells and all three heads turn in his direction. “Kanoka, right? Long time no see!” He walks over to his primary school friend, a grin easily splitting his face. He remembers Kanoka perfectly now. They used to do practically everything together in fourth grade. He remembers how they would run around looking for ladybugs during recess, the excitement clear on Kanoka’s face whenever they found one. She’d let the little creature crawl up her hands and giggle as it tickled her palms. Most days, they would spend their entire recess doing that and Kanoka would come to school the next day sporting a nasty sunburn along the bridge of her nose. Tanaka chuckles at the memory.

Then, there were other days where they’d play volleyball upon Tanaka’s request. His love for the sport first blossomed in fourth grade, but he had no one to practice with since all the other boys were more interested in baseball or basketball. But Kanoka would always play with him eagerly and despite the fact that she’d never played before, she was a natural.

“Ryu-Ryuu-chan, it’s been forever!” Kanoka says as recognition lights up her eyes. She smiles shyly and waves. Beside the two of them, Noya and Hinata gape at the interaction, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

“Oh, what?” Hinata squeaks, “Could it be that you’re acquainted with the ‘Queen’?”

Tanaka revels in the attention from his underclassman. “Well you’re not entirely wrong,” he brags, raising his chin haughtily. “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I personally groomed and raised the up-and-coming ace of Niiyama Girls High!”

Hinata stares at him with awe. Tanaka can practically read what’s going through Hinata’s head: _Teach me, teach me!_ with grabby hands and all.

Tanaka laughs and Kanoka giggles, “Sounds about right.”

“How long’s it been…primary school grade four?” Tanaka asks. “You’re as tall as ever!” He looks her closely then, “Wait a sec…” he whispers. Kanoka stares at him with a puzzled expression, long eyelashes fluttering like palm fronds in the breeze. She plays with her fingers nervously before brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Kanoka was always tall. She towered over everyone in class and Tanaka admired her height because it did serious damage even in fourth grade when they practiced spiking. Even now, standing in front of Tanaka, Kanoka is taller than him. She probably has a good inch and a half on him but he isn’t even embarrassed because he realizes how feminine she’s gotten. Gone was the stick straight girl from fourth grade. Before Tanaka is a girl whose short and tight volleyball uniform wonderfully accentuated her figure. He admires her lean yet strong arms (the arms of the future ace) and muscular thighs, gained from hours of grueling practice. Her legs in those shorts look unbelievably long, and Tanaka’s cheeks begin to heat up. _She’s grown…like…a lot…_ _She’s beautiful…_ really _beautiful_.

Tanaka knows he should say something but he doubts any words would come out of his mouth even if he opened it.

He thinks his chance is gone when Kanoka’s teammate comes up to them. “Amanai,” she says and unlike Kanoka, her face is all business, “Time to line up.”

“Yes!” Kanoka responds, “I’ll be right there.”

Her teammate nods once before walking off, no doubt to the rest of her team.

Kanoka turns back to Tanaka and smiles, “You know, Ryuu-chan, we should catch up. I know that it’s probably going to be hard with all these matches looming over our head, but I haven’t seen you in so long.” Her smile drops a little at the edges as she continues, “It’s like you totally forgot about me.”

After fourth grade they never had any classes together in primary school. Although they still talked sometimes, it wasn’t the same as it was in fourth grade. Eventually they ended up going to different middle schools and Tanaka never saw or heard of Kanoka again, until today. He felt bad for cutting off all connections with her, but at that age he didn’t know how to maintain long term relationships. And it’s not like Kanoka tried to keep contact with him either. They both just fell out of touch and went their separate ways. Tanaka knew it was a part of growing up, but he didn’t know Kanoka was upset over it.

“I—I didn’t—,” Tanaka flounders.

“Relax! I’m only teasing,” Kanoka’s smile returns but Tanaka notes it doesn’t reach her eyes like before. The guilt eats away his insides, and suddenly he feels like he should have tried harder to maintain their friendship.

“We should catch up, though,” Tanaka says, hoping to remedy his past mistakes, “How about after today’s match we grab a bite to eat?”

Sweat beads at Tanaka’s temples, and he wrings his jersey in his hands as he waits for her answer. Kanoka is surprised but nonetheless thrilled, and she finally puts Tanaka’s heart at peace. “Sure thing, Ryuu-chan! I know Tokyo really well and I know this place that has the best ramen and then maybe after we can get some melonpan since I know how much you love it—.”

“Melonpan?” Tanaka interrupts her because there are butterflies in his stomach. “You still remember that I love melonpan?”

A fond smile adorns her lips and Tanaka notices her eyes sparkle. “Of course I do. You always bought some for lunch and shared it with me, and I shared my octopus wieners with you. You would never shut up about your love for melonpan.” She laughs and the butterflies in Tanaka’s stomach multiply until he feels like they’re going to burst out of him. His cheeks definitely feel hot now and he ducks his head to hide the blush he has no doubt he’s sporting.

Kanoka seems to not have noticed, thankfully. “Oh, Ryuu-chan, do you have a pen?”

The question is so off topic that Tanaka can’t help but raise his head again and give her a questioning look.

“I do!” Suga pipes up from behind Tanaka, who almost jumps out of his skin. How long has he been there? And why does he randomly have a pen on him? Tanaka wonders how someone can be that resourceful. He guesses it comes naturally since Suga is the “mom” of the team.

Suga gives the pen to Kanoka with a smile, and she accepts it with a small thank you. He winks at Tanaka discreetly and slips away. Tanaka wonders if Suga is also a ninja? _Team mom by day, ninja by night: Sugawara Koushi._

“Um, can I see your hand Ryuu-chan?” Kanoka asks hesitantly and her own cheeks are noticeably pinker.

As if on autopilot, Tanaka extends his hand to Kanoka. Her fingers are rough and calloused, very much like Tanaka’s own. After all, they are both wing spikers. He always associated soft hands with girls, but he honestly didn’t mind this touch either. It feels nice.  She pulls his hand slightly more towards her and begins writing on his palm. The warmth from her fingers spreads through Tanaka, leaving him dizzy and breathless.  

“There!” She caps the pen and puts it in Tanaka’s outstretched palm. “Message me this evening, and we’ll figure out the details of where and when to meet up!”

Tanaka’s jaw drops because Kanoka just gave him her number. _A girl just gave me her number_ , Tanaka thinks numbly. But they’re friends, just friends…right?

“I really should get going now,” Kanoka states, nervously pulling at her hair, “Let’s do our best, Ryuu-chan!”

“Yes, uh hah,” Tanaka barely manages to say. His mind still isn’t functioning properly. With a wave and a pleasant smile, Kanoka leaves to rejoin her teammates, the crowd swallowing her up as if she’d never been there at all.

Tanaka pinches himself. “Ouch!” He hisses but the series of numbers on his palm are still there.

“Don’t worry, Ryuu,” Noya says from beside him, “That definitely wasn’t a dream. I’m proud of you, man.” Noya claps Tanaka on the back, but Tanaka is barely paying attention. His eyes are focused on the spot where Kanoka walked off, and his hand still tingles from the warm touch.

***

Tanaka waits patiently at the ramen place Kanoka texted him the address of after their first match. He remembered typing in her number on his phone but his fingers completely froze when it came time to type the actual message. He just didn’t know what to say! He probably typed and retyped the greeting alone a hundred times. Daichi finally came to his aid and helped him through it, pressing the send button before Tanaka chickened out. Tanaka was surprised to get a reply almost immediately with the address and time of their outing. He’d smiled at the emojis tacked on the end of Kanoka’s message.

After getting lost a few times, Tanaka finally found the place. (Tokyo is a complicated city to navigate, ok?) He’s glad he left extra early and was the first one to arrive because the last thing he wanted was to keep Kanoka waiting.

 Both Karasuno and Niiyama Joshi had won against their respective opponents, and Tanaka was ecstatic. Even though Hinata’s shoe dilemma was fixed, Karasuno still took time getting into the zone since it was everyone’s first time playing on the orange court. But once their engine was revved up, there was no stopping the crows until they defeated their opponents. The match had been close and adrenaline coursed through Tanaka’s veins the entire time. It was the most alive he’d felt in forever, and he was glad they would get to play more matches.

His team wanted to go out to eat as celebration (Takeda sensei and coach Ukai insisted on paying for the meal, proud of their first victory at nationals), but he turned down the offer, remembering his promise to Kanoka. Everyone on the team by now knew who he was leaving them for. They teased him mercilessly, Suga especially. He may look like an angel, yet he was anything but. Noya was the only supportive one, giving him advice even though he himself has never had any experience with girls. Tanaka still appreciated the pep talk though.

But, for some reason he didn’t feel as nervous as he should have. This was Kanoka after all, his good friend from primary school. He’s seen her with dirt on her face and twigs in her hair from when they would roll around in the overgrown summer grass. She’s seen him with snot dripping down his nose when he was sick with the flu and came to drop off his homework. He has nothing to worry about.   

When Kanoka enters the restaurant though, Tanaka’s heart picks up speed and his palms get sweaty. She’s wearing a blush pink coat with a faux fur trimmed hood and a gray scarf tied similar in style to Suga’s. She’s also wearing gray ear muffs because Tanaka remembers how easily she would get ear infections when she was younger. Must be the same after all these years. They look like fluffy storm clouds resting against her dark hair, and Tanaka thinks she looks unbelievably cute. She pulls them off and plays with them as she looks for Tanaka in the busy restaurant.

Tanaka waves, trying to catch her eye, and it works. Her eyes light up as she waves back, rushing over to him with a bright smile. Tanaka doesn’t know why, but he stands up when she approaches and doesn’t sit back down until she’s comfortably settled across from him. She stares at him curiously but doesn’t make comment. Tanaka flushes and sits back down, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“Ryuu-chan! Sorry, did I make you wait long?” Kanoka asks, shedding her scarf and coat. She combs her fingers through her short hair and smiles.

Tanaka shakes his head, “No, I just got here a few minutes ago myself.”

“Oh, good!” Kanoka exclaims, and Tanaka relaxes because it feels just like primary school again.

“Why don’t we decide what to order?” Tanaka suggests and Kanoka nods.

After a cursory glance at the menu, Kanoka sets hers aside and waits on Tanaka. There are just so many options that he doesn’t know which one to choose. He finally settles for the classic Toyko style ramen and a waiter comes to take their order.

“So, congratulations on winning the first round,” Tanaka says. “I heard you all did great.”

Kanoka beams. “Thanks! Congrats to you guys too! Our next matches are staggered, so I was thinking of coming to cheer you on?”

Kanoka sips her water, cheeks pink and eyes downcast. When she finishes, Tanka still hasn’t said anything. Someone other than his family cheering him on? He realizes that Kanoka said it as a question and still waits for his answer, and he kicks himself for taking so long and causing her anxiety.

“Yeah—yeah, that would be great,” he finally manages, “We need all the support we can get. After our match, I’ll come cheer you on too.”

Tanaka is proud of himself for saying those words because Kanoka practically glows. She tilts her head to the side and smiles so wide that the corners of her eyes crinkle. Her light butterscotch colored eyes remind him of the pale winter sun he hasn’t seen since he’s arrived in Tokyo. But he supposes he’s seeing it now, and he basks in the warmth greedily. He feels like he’s lying on a bed of soft grass, surrounded by the fragrant smell of flowers and the sound of a stream trickling nearby.

Kanoka rests her chin on the palm of her hand and regards Tanaka with a—dare he say it?— _affectionate_ look. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

Tanaka doesn’t know what to make of that statement. True, he’s still pretty much the same rambunctious and headstrong guy he was in primary school, but was that a bad thing? Did Kanoka not like that anymore? Was she expecting a different, more mature Tanaka?

“Is—is that a bad thing?” He asks slowly.

Kanoka shakes her head. “No, no that’s not a bad thing at all. I—I’m glad you’re still the same person.”

Tanaka feels like there’s more to it than that but just then their orders arrive. His stomach grumbles in appreciation as the smell of ramen wafts up his nose. He doesn’t even wait for it to cool down before he’s slurping away at the noodles and broth.

Bad decision.

The soup burns his tongue and he nearly drops his chopsticks from the pain. “Ow, ow, ow,” he yelps, sticking his tongue out like a dog and fanning it with his hand. His eyes flood with tears.

Kanoka giggles as she offers him a glass of water. “Yup, still the same. Slow down, will you? The food’s not going anywhere.”

Tanaka accepts the glass gratefully and downs the liquid inside. It helps a little, but he’s definitely lost the feeling on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll slow down. It’s just, I’m _starving_! I only had one banana after that match.”

“I understand,” Kanoka nods, “I’m really hungry too.”

“So, how’s Niiyama Joshi?” Tanaka asks as he stirs his ramen, hoping to cool it faster that way.

“Oh, it’s great but sometimes it can get too much always being around girls.” She pouts, “They can be quite vicious at times.”

Tanaka knows. “Yeah, I bet.”

“But I love my team, and I would never leave them,” she says with fierce determination.

Tanaka doesn’t doubt it one bit. One of Kanoka’s best qualities is her loyalty to her friends. She would do anything for them.

“What about Karasuno?” Kanoka asks in return.

“Karasuno is great actually!” And Tanaka means it. He loves his school. “I’m glad I chose to go there. Like you, I love my team too.”

“Why did you choose to go there anyway? I mean, you’ve loved volleyball since you were little and,” Kanoka’s eyes flit away as she tries to find the right way to put it without sounding offensive, “well, when you started high school, Karasuno wasn’t really known for being a powerhouse at volleyball. I guess I just expected you to pick a school that was better?” She realizes the words came out all wrong and she backtracks, waving her hands frantically in front of her. “Not—not that Karasuno isn’t great! You guys are here at nationals, after all!”

Tanaka chuckles, “It’s ok, Kanoka. I get what you mean. You’re right, Karasuno wasn’t a powerhouse when I started high school, but I also knew Ukai senior had returned to coach. He’s known for his effective yet Spartan training, and I had no doubt he would lead us to nationals again.” Tanaka scratches his cheek and focuses his eyes resolutely on his ramen bowl. “And I—uh, also liked the uniforms…a lot.”

Kanoka’s laugh rings crisp and clear as a winter’s day around them, and Tanaka feels a blush heating up his cheeks yet again. “Of course you’d care about the uniforms. What is it? A black gakuran, I bet.”

Tanaka nods, surprised by her guessing skills.

“Knew it!” Kanoka says through a mouthful of noodles. “You always thought they looked so cool.”

So, it wasn’t a guess at all. She actually remembered Tanaka telling her how awesome that uniform looked from all the back in fourth grade, just like the melonpan.

She hums, “Well, I bet you look great in it too.”

Tanaka’s heart is ready to burst out of his chest at this point. A girl has never complimented him before, _ever_. He doesn’t know how to deal with it. He wishes Daichi was here to guide him along like with the text.

“Uh—no—not really—I mean,” Tanaka stutters and just gives up. He shuts his mouth and wants to bang his head against the table. How can Kanoka dish out compliments so easily? Tanaka stares at her. She seems so unaffected as she casually slurps her ramen.  

The topic shifts, yet it’s still on the subject of volleyball. They talk about their positions and trade tips on how to get better. Kanoka explains with lots of hand gestures and onomatopoeia and by the end of it Tanaka is laughing so much, there’s broth coming out of his nose. The people around them give them dirty looks but they don’t care. Tanaka is glad for Kanoka’s companionship once again.

They finish their food quickly, mindful of the curfew they both had accepted to stick to before being allowed to leave. Kanoka lets Tanaka pay for both their meals only on the condition that she would pay for their melonpans. They bundle up again, and Tanaka luckily remembers to put his beanie back on. He zips up his jacket all the way to his neck and is about to ask Kanoka if she’s ready to leave. When he looks back up, Kanoka’s staring at him, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Tanaka wonders if he has something on his face and suddenly feel really self-conscious.

“Wh—what?”

“Your beanie,” Kanoka mumbles and Tanaka touches it, hoping nothing is wrong with it. It’s his favorite and so warm! “It looks good. _You_ look good…in it.” Kanoka claps a hand over her mouth as soon as she finishes talking, shock clear in her eyes. She turns away from him in embarrassment.

Meanwhile Tanaka seems to have stopped working altogether. He really isn’t used to compliments. His heart is beating faster than after he’s finished five sets of a volleyball match, and his mouth is drier than that one desert in Africa he learned about in class but didn’t bother to remember the name of. He finally stutters out a quick “thank you”, and fortunately they both start functioning enough to finally leave the restaurant.

It’s gotten colder than when he’d first arrived but Kanoka informs him that bakery is just a few blocks away. At this time of the evening, the Tokyo streets are packed but Kanoka steers them with the ease of a resident. Tanaka is glad she’s with him otherwise he’d definitely get lost, but he’s also curious.

“How do you know Tokyo so well, Kanoka?” Tanaka wonders out loud.

Kanoka looks at him sideways and her nose is bright red from the cold. Tanaka doesn’t know why but he has the strange urge to _boop_ it. “I come a lot with my parents since they have a business here.”

“Why don’t you guys just live in Tokyo then?”

“Well, my grandmother loves Miyagi since she’s lived there all her life. She doesn’t want to move, and my dad doesn’t want to leave her because she’s so old. He’d rather just travel to Tokyo from time to time and my mom’s ok with that too.”

Tanaka nods.

A pedestrian, who looked to be in a real hurry, shoulders past Kanoka and pushes her into Tanaka’s side. Tanaka’s hands instinctively latch onto Kanoka’s arms to hold her steady. He turns around to give that man a piece of his mind, but he’s already long gone. People in Tokyo can be so insensitive.

“Are you ok?” Tanaka asks and it doesn’t register to him that Kanoka is practically in his arms. He’s more worried about her safety.

“Yes—yes I’m fine, Ryuu-chan,” Kanoka says, ducking her head and hiding her face behind her bangs.

“Ok, good. Ready to keep going?”

Kanoka nods and continues walking while Tanaka sticks closer to her side than before. Within a few minutes they arrive at the bakery and the smell of sweet dough greets Tanaka. His mouth salivates, and he licks his lips hungrily.

Kanoka makes her way to the display of all the sweets and frowns. There’s only one melonpan left. “Excuse me, sir?”

The shop attendant turns his attention to her and smiles. “Yes, miss, what can I do for you?”

“Do you have any more melonpan left by any chance?”

The shop attendant’s smile turns sympathetic, “I’m sorry, miss, but that’s the last one. They’re really popular and I’m surprised even one is left at this time of the night. Would you still like it?”

Kanoka looks over at Tanaka, eyes dull. “Maybe we can go to another bakery where they might have more? It’s just—this one has the best ones. I’m sorry. We should’ve gotten here earlier. I should have known…”

Tanaka snorts and punches her lightly on the arm, “Hey, why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault at all. Relax! We’ll share that one melonpan, just like we did back in primary school.”

He grins at her and Kanoka grins back, the tension leaving her body. Her eyes regain their usual twinkle, and Tanaka feels warm but not because they’re in the bakery. He realizes he likes being the reason behind Kanoka’s smile and the sparkle in her eyes.

“We’ll take the last melonpan then!” Kanoka tells the shop attendant, and he gladly rings them up.

They take their baked delicacy and decide to eat it outside since the bakery has no tables available. Kanoka herds them to a nearby park. There are a few couples around them but at least the swings are empty. They sit down on them, rocking gently back and forth, and Tanaka remembers Kanoka loves swings.

She pauses to take the melonpan out of the bag and splits it in half. She gives a piece to Tanaka, who accepts it gratefully from her freezing hands. Tanaka stares at his half then hers then back at his.

“You still suck at math, don’t you, Kanoka?” He teases, holding up his melonpan. “This is _not_ half.”

Even under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Tanaka can still see Kanoka’s face turn red. “Th—that _is_ totally half!” She sputters and the breath ghosts through her lips in foggy tendrils.

“And you’re no better at math than me!” She retorts and sticks her out tongue like a petulant child. “I always got higher marks than you, and you cheated off of me in practically every subject!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

Tanaka almost falls of the swing from the fit of giggles. After a moment, Kanoka joins him and for a few minutes all they do it laugh and eat their melonpan.

Kanoka is the first to go quiet but it’s not the calm silence Tanaka had expected. Instead, something heavy lingers in the air. It feels like Tanaka is teetering precariously on a tightrope with a bottomless pit ready to suck him right in. He can only move forward though and hope to make it across alive. How he’ll do that is a mystery, but he won’t know unless he tries.    

“Kanoka?” Tanaka asks gently. He peers at her, and her chin is tucked into her chest, the scarf covering the beautiful arch in her neck. “Are you ok?”

Kanoka raises her head and her eyes are glistening. Tanaka freaks out because they were just laughing a few minutes ago! Did he do something wrong without realizing it? He doesn’t know how to deal with this! This is way out of his territory…

“Ryuu,” Kanoka says softly, “I missed this so much…I missed you so much. I feel like after this, we’ll go back to our busy lives and you’ll forget about me again—.” A tear escapes her eye and Tanaka is on his feet immediately. He kneels in front of her and takes her cold hands in his, rubbing some warmth back into them.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Tanaka says gently, “Why would you think that? I’m not going to lose contact with you again, Kanoka, don’t you worry. I met my good friend after so long. Do you honestly think I’d let go of her again so easily, hmm?”

By the time Tanaka finishes reassuring her that he’s not going anywhere, Kanoka bursts into even more tears. _Shit, did I say the wrong thing?!_ Tanaka thinks worriedly.

He barely finishes the thought before Kanoka tackles him into a hug. Tanaka is so surprised and unprepared that he topples over, the wooden chips on the playground cushioning his fall. Kanoka sobs into his jacket and Tanaka lets her cry it out, stroking her back soothingly. He doesn’t understand where all these emotions are coming from, but it’s better she releases them before they talk about anything.

When Kanoka’s finally calmed down enough, she untangles herself from Tanaka and sits up. “Sorry,” she hiccups, not looking him in the eye. She furiously wipes away the streaks of tears from her face but the blotchiness is still present and her lashes are still stuck together from stray tears.  

“It’s ok. Do you feel better?” Tanaka scoots closer to her until they’re sitting side by side, shoulders and thighs touching.

Kanoka nods so Tanaka takes it as a green light to continue, “Can I ask what’s wrong? Did I do or say anything to upset you?”

Kanoka shakes her head, “No, I’m just really happy that you’re not going to forget about me again.”

“I never forgot about you, Kanoka.” Tanaka says with as much feeling as possible because it’s true. Even though she wasn’t in his life for most of the time, he never forgot about his first best friend. “And I’m sincerely sorry I didn’t do a better job of keeping in touch with you before.”

Kanoka looks at him with relief etched across her face and gives him a wobbly smile. “It’s ok. I’m sorry too. It wasn’t my intention to guilt trip you…literally or figuratively.” She giggles then. “Are you ok though?”

Tanaka is glad she’s smiling again. “I’m fine knowing you’re better.”

Kanoka looks away and her short hair curtains her face from Tanaka’s view. “You were always so nice to me since the beginning. Everyone always made fun of me but you—you never did. I will never forget how you stood up for me in front of all those girls that made fun of my height. All the time they called me a giant and told me no guy would ever go out with me since I was taller than all of them. Other students witnessed it all the time, but never stopped those girls. You did, though. You told them off, and you became my friend when I had none. You shared your food with me, you ran around with me, and you made me fall in love with volleyball.” Her last words are soft but Tanaka still manages to hear them even through the roaring in his ears. “No one ever noticed me but you.”

Tanaka doesn't know what to say so he follows his gut feeling. He hugs Kanoka and with that hug he hopes to express everything that he is feeling. _Yes, yes Kanoka, you mean so much to me! How could I not notice you? You mean everything to me, and I will never let you go again!_

They stay in each other’s warm embrace until Tanaka feels something cold hit his cheek. He looks up, and it's snowing.

“Kanoka, look!” Tanaka points to the dark sky and Kanoka lifts her head from his shoulder.

She gasps in surprise and holds her hand out as the snowflakes gather on her palm before melting away a second later. Her eyes are alive and bright even in the poorly lit park. They’re the only thing guiding Tanaka as he walks this tightrope, but he knows that’s the only light he needs. He’s confident with Kanoka guiding him, he’ll make it out alive. He goes forward, sure and strong.

***

When Tanaka returns to their living arrangements after dropping Kanoka off at her hotel, he runs into Kiyoko. She’s fetching some stats for coach Ukai to look at, but Tanaka doesn’t even bat an eyelash. All he can think about is how Kiyoko’s hair is too long and how her eyes are too dark and not nearly as warm and inviting as Kanoka’s. When he realizes his feelings, he can’t stop smiling. Tomorrow he’ll see those eyes again as they cheer him on from the stands.

That night Tanaka dreams of finally making it to the end of the tightrope. He steps onto the luscious grass and digs his toes into the soft earth as the sun washes him with its warm glow. He can just make out a head of short dark hair in the distance, and he runs eagerly to it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!!! Please come fangirl with me over this rare pair (like I kid you not I LOVE them) or Haikyuu in general on my [tumblr](http://www.rolling-blunder.tumblr.com/)!  
> Please leave this poor creature some comments and kudos! Thanks :D


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